Pranks,Lies,Truth: Draw the Line
by Kismet's Kiss
Summary: No, his whisper of April Fool didn't make much sense to her. And no, the tears that she shed didn't make sense at all.She never looked at him as she passed him into the house and she never returned his whisper of "I love you" Dasey


**Hehe Hi Hi guys! This thought has just been roaming around in my head thus I present you with this little one-shot. I mean it this time!! I know every time I make a 'one-shot' it turns into a multi chaptered story because of requests but this time it's a done deal :P**

**Disclaimer: Do not own. The idea was inspired by Koyou's Arietta. Dedicated to SoulMatesDC, Hehe my MalzADoll :P**

The school was buzzing, laughter and angry fits of rage and embarrassment filled the air and Casey could do nothing but sigh. Emily had run off with Sheldon somewhere, she was most likely protecting him from all the pranks everyone in the school was pulling on him. The poor kid didn't stand a chance.

Shaking her head with a mix of laughter and pity she proceeded to walk outside the school grounds, walking past her guidance counselor Paul, who had gotten his hand stuck on his car door, the kids it seemed played a prank on him as well.

"Oh my!" Rushing over to the increasingly irritated man she gripped his wrists and tried to pull with him, after a united pull at the count of three they succeeded in prying his hand away from the car door handle. With a relieved sigh the man turned to Casey and managed a small, tired smile in thanks. Nodding her head she wished him a well weekend and walked off.

Bicycle tires being popped, Gum in the hair, rigged water fountains, Whip cream in the face, bucket of water falling onto the unfortunate soul's head from the top crack of the door above. All these pranks were unveiled before her eyes, she was so lucky that no one had attempted, or if they did, failed to pull off a prank on her.

It was after all April fools day.

But Casey wasn't as lucky as she had thought she had been. After all she lives with the most notorious prankster of them all. One Derek Venturi. Her darling step-brother.

**X**

Throughout the entire afternoon and into the early evening, Casey had been on the alert for anything Derek would try to pull off, if someone would call her, she didn't pick up for fear of it being a prank phone call by Derek. If someone knocked on her door, she would first ask who it was, and if she deemed it safe she would open it while jumping back so nothing could fall on her.

There was never anything to fall on her.

At dinner she examined her food precisely. Checking every aspect and poking at it.

"Honey don't poke your food, you have better table manners than that Casey." her mother scolded lightly with a smile after. She looked up a tinge of red gracing her cheeks, her mother had cooked the food but she knew Derek had his ways.

"You sure about that Nora, I thought cavewoman didn't know how to eat with…ed-e-kit." Derek drawled as he rose his fork and pointed it at Casey, some rice falling from the sharp utensil and onto the table below.

"_Etiquette._" She corrected his pronunciation as she made a disgusted face bearing witness to the food that fell down. "The word is Etiquette, and how dare you call me a cavewoman, that is the description for your primitive life form, not mine."

"Casey!" Nora let out in a hushed, shocked tone. Casey blew a stray strand of hair from her face and grumbled about how Derek got away with everything, she was still surprised that he hadn't played a prank on her, nonetheless respond to her retort.

Something was up.

And she wasn't sticking around to find out, excusing herself she went to the kitchen and upon washing her dish, ran up the stairs to finish her homework, some time passed as she studiously completed her tasks before she heard Derek's door slam shut, his feet tumbling down the stairs and with a "I'll be back soon!" shout to the parents, left the house.

"I'm free! I'm safe! By the time he comes back I'll be asleep, and then next time he sees me April fool's day will be over!" Getting up from her bed she giggled lightly and did a twirl.

"Like that's stopped him before?"

"Huh…?" turning around Casey spotted Lizzie with a small smirk on her face. "Casey." she let out crossing her arms and staring up at her older sister with amusement written all over her face.

"He'll probably just prank you tomorrow you know…" Casey sighed and plopped on her bed. " He probably just thought today would be too obvious and you would easily notice whatever he had planned…"

"Thanks for bringing my spirits down Liz." the young girl shrugged and apologized before bidding her sister goodnight, the older did the same and then turned off her main light, leaving her table lamp to stay on as she stared up at the ceiling.

**X**

She must have fallen asleep for she opened her eyes with a start and still had her clothes on from earlier. She glanced around her room and still found it to be dark, looking at the clock on her desk she saw it was 5:00 am. Sighing she shifted on her bed to lay on her side, her line of vision looking out her window, the night was beautiful the stars illuminating the sky.

Getting up she wearily trudged over to the window and was amazed to find a full moon brightly staring down at her, smiling she put on a bed robe and wrapping it around her body tightly proceeded to tip toe down the hallway and stairs to open the front door softly and sit on the stoop of her front porch.

Sighing she closed her eyes and allowed the cold air to hit her while her body warmth tried to fight through the penetrating chilly winds.

"This is so nice…"

"So here's where you are." startled Casey turned around to see the front door slightly open, the owner of the voice known to her before his appearance was seen as he opened the door completely revealing himself by stepping out onto the stoop beside her before closing the door lightly behind him.

"Derek…" she breathed, curious as to why he was here and up at this time, and her voice barely stable from being frightened by his sudden appearance. "What are you doing up this late…or early I should say?"

"I could ask you the same." Deciding not to answer she returned her eyes to the sky, light was already starting to form, yesterday was becoming today.

"It's not really morning yet, the stars looked so beautiful, I came to see the dawn as the Moon slowly left."

"Did you?" said Derek, his quiet voice unusually mild and gentle. He made his way to her side and he too, sat down. "So did I." She shifted a little bit, finding that she liked being near him a little bit too much then she should. After sometime she felt she needed to elaborate on her reasoning for being out here. In true Casey like fashion.

"It is the only time that I can see the moon and the sun together. At dusk, usually the sun goes away first and it takes a while after that before the moon will come out."

"They can hardly see each other, can they? And when they do, it's only for a very short time." She turned to him, a little perplexed and startled as to why he, one, was actually keeping up conversation, and two, knew what she was actually talking about.

She nodded before randomly letting out the words lingering on the tips of her lips and the edges of her brain. "I wonder if they miss each other."

"I'm sure they do. Aren't they supposed to be brother and sister?" he asked.

"Like in the myth, you mean? I guess so," she said absentmindedly.

"Then, they must miss each other very much when they are apart from one another most of the time."

She sighed. "Maybe. But both of them have very different life styles and It can't be helped."

"No, it can't." he agreed.

"But that won't make them miss the other less." She looked to the lightening sky. "And every time that they meet, no matter how short the time, every passing second becomes the more precious to them."

"Very," he nodded, looking solemn. Time passed for some time and Casey found herself playing with her hands in a nervous bout upon her lap, he made a move to get up but her words stopped him.

"I haven't seen you around lately…"

"Been busy." came his curt reply.

She could feel it as soft gold and orange light gently painted the edge of the sky, blending the color into soft violet. He was becoming his normal Derek like self again as the night drew to a close.

"Really? I didn't notice…" she murmured, though her voice was none too convincing. He looked at her thoughtfully, and decided to drop the subject and start a new one.

"We had a crazy day yesterday."

She blinked, then turned to look at him, confusion written all over her face. "Yesterday…?" He looked back at her, one brow raised. "You don't remember what day yesterday was?" She frowned at his words and tried to guess. "Yesterday was Friday…"

"It was Friday," he affirmed before looking at her dully, wondering where his smart Casey went. "But what date do you remember?"

She thought for a moment, before her eyes widened in realization. "Oh." He nodded. "That's why." A slow grin crept to her face. "Did you fall for any of them?"

"The right question, I think," he said slowly, calmly. "Is that how many had fallen for mine."

She pretended to look shocked. "You, Derek? Is it possible that you are capable of doing such things?"

"You'll be surprised at what I'm capable of, _sister" _he replied with a superior air. "Do you care to try? We still have a few minutes left before the day ends after all."

"Why not?" she smiled, though the smile never quite reached her eyes. She turned to face him. "When you're ready…"

He smiled. The smile was unusually cold and bitter.

"I wish you were never my sister."

A sharp intake of breath.

"I wish I was never your brother. I wish that we weren't now family."

She nodded, _seeming_ nonchalant.

"I want to hate you. Ever since you moved in here, I have always wanted to hate you. It would have been easier that way…and wouldn't hurt as much as it does now."

Morning light brushed and fluttered against the sky.

He sighed. "I'm sorry for thinking of you in such way, and I will stop. You're my… sister, Casey. And that's the only way I will love you…the only way I can love you."

Dawn had come. A new day was born. She tried to glare at him, and failed miserably. He smiled at her, and she had never seen him look sadder then. He understood. She understood.

They understood.

It was foolish.

Casey didn't stop him from grabbing her into a hug, his grip filled with need and want, a hopeless attempt to try and have her to himself, if only for a moment.

No, his whisper of "April Fool" didn't make much sense to her. And no, the tears that she shed didn't make sense at all.

She never looked at him as she passed him into the house. She never returned his whisper of "I love you" as the door closed softly behind her. She never let him know how she would crumble, leaning against the door upon walking up the steps to her room and cry as though she had been back to that time, when it was decided that they were never to walk on the same path with one another.

And she was never foolish enough to admit to anyone, or herself, that these tears she had shed were all because she had fell in love with her foolish step-brother, who had fallen in love with her right back.

Pranks, lies…where do you draw the line and decipher what is and what isn't the truth?

**Fin**


End file.
